IT’S NEW COMIC BOOK DAY!
Major Spoilers runs down the comics we are looking forward to, and recommending, this week.
AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #1
Writer: Roberto Aguirre Sacasa
Artist: Franceso Francavilla, Jack Morelli
Publisher: Archie Comic Publications
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: New Ongoing Series! “Escape From Riverdale.” This is how the end of the world begins! Harvey Award-winning writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Archie Meets Glee) and Eisner-winning artist Francesco Francavilla (Batman) take Archie and the gang where they’ve never been before – to the grave and back! A horrific accident sets off a series of grim events and Sabrina the Teenage Witch must try to repair the unspeakable evil her spell has unleashed. Gasp in horror as Riverdale faces an impending zombie Arch-pocalypse in this brand-new, spine-tingling ongoing series – but be warned, kiddies, this one’s not for the faint of heart!
GEORGE: Zombie Arch-pocalypse. Come on! I don’t need to sell you guys on this one. You already know you want it.
RODRIGO: Right on schedule Archie jumps on the Zombie bandwagon a decade behind. Still, anything to watch Jughead eat Reggie’s stupid brains, right?
STEPHEN: I’ve been waiting for this for months! MONTHS! Can’t wait to see what happens to Riverdale and who will live and who will die.
ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #14
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Khari Evans
Publisher: Valiant Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: All-new arc, all-new jumping-on point! SECT CIVIL WAR starts here! Every enemy. Against each other. For centuries, the cloak-and-dagger coalition of conspiracies collectively known as The Sect has worked together to bring silent oppression and undercover tyranny to a world that thought it was free. But, now, after centuries of profit sharing and uneasy alliances, the factions of The Sect are about to erupt into open conflict…and the only men that can end the insanity are Archer & Armstrong! Too bad they’re fighting for different sides! Why? How? And will either survive? The knockdown, drag-out A&A event of the year starts now – and no conspirator is safe!
CHRIS: This has become my favorite Valiant title. It was something I didn’t think I would like, but once I gave it a try, Whoa Boy! It’s fun that doesn’t stop and there hasn’t been an issue that’s disappointed. So, if you haven’t been reading, this looks like a good place to jump on.
BATMAN #24
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $6.99
SOLICITATION: Zero Year Part Four! In this amazing, double-sized issue, Batman is on the trail of the Red Hood Gang and their mysterious leader, secret origins are revealed, and a major surprise will change the course of Zero Year and Batman’s life!
STEPHEN: I stepped away from DC Comics for a while, but with a bulk of back issues read in a flurry of frantic consumption, I’m back on board to read me some Batman… too bad about the price…
CHEW #37
Writer: John Layman
Artist: Rob Guillory
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: “FAMILY RECIPE,” Part Two
It’s take your daughter to dinner day!
ROB: Tony’s sister proved just how clever she is in the last issue, now it’s up to Tony and his daughter to capitalize on this. Chew continues to amaze and I am always happy to see a new issue arrive.
COFFIN HILL #1
Writer: Caitlin Kittredge
Artist: Inaki Miranda
Publisher: Vertigo Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: COFFIN HILL stars Eve Coffin, a rebellious, teenage lowlife from a high-society family with a curse that goes back to the Salem Witch trials. Following a night of sex, drugs and witchcraft in the woods, Eve wakes up naked, covered in blood and unable to remember how she got there. One friend is missing, one is in a mental ward-and one knows that Eve is responsible. After a stint as a Boston cop that ends in a bullet wound and unintended celebrity, Eve returns to Coffin Hill, only to discover the darkness that she unleashed ten years ago in the woods was never contained. It continues to seep through the town, cursing the soul of this sleepy Massachusetts hollow, spilling secrets and enacting its revenge. Set against the haunted backdrop of New England, COFFIN HILL explores what people will do for power and retribution. Noted novelist Caitlin Kittredge, author of the Black London series, brings a smart, mesmerizing style to comics. Artist Inaki Miranda (FABLES) brings his dynamic storytelling to COFFIN HILL, following an acclaimed run on FAIREST.
CHRIS: I’m always on the lookout for some new, alternative books and this one caught my eye. I haven’t read many comics dealing with witchcraft so this will be a fun read. I don’t know what to expect and that’s a good thing.
DEATH SENTENCE #1
Writer: Monty Nero
Artist: Michael Dowling
Publisher: Titan Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: That’s the dilemma facing three people who’ve contracted the G+ Virus, a terrifying new STD. What can graphic designer Verity, failing indie guitarist Weasel and roguish media personality Monty do in the time they have left? Fade away – or go out in a blaze of glory? By turns funny, dark, sad and spectacular, Death Sentence is an emotional thrillride through celebrity, loss, passion and creativity. It’s the jaw-dropping next stage in superpowered storytelling! Packed with unforgettable shocks, quotable dialogue and the character finds of a generation, this is an unmissable debut by two striking and confident new voices!
CHRIS: I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing this a while ago and it was pretty good. Definitely an original and captivating concept. Again, a good alternative to you standard superhero affair.
GHOSTBUSTERS #8
Writer: Erik Burnham
Artist: Evan Shaner
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The Ghostbusters have their hands full in this issue! Kylie, Peter, and Ray have boarded the John Milton to meet its restless captain — the stubborn spirit of a teenager who was lost at sea in the ship’s original sinking!
ROB: Ghostbusters is one of those books that has surprised me as to how quickly I became hooked. It surprised me when the original cast returned, and it continues to surprise me by making the now huge cast work for the story.
MAGIC THE GATHERING THEROS #1
Writer: Jason Ciaramella
Artist: Martin Coccolo
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $4.99
SOLICITATION: Dack Fayden Returns! After eliminating Sifa Grent, the Planeswalker that destroyed his hometown, Dack has settled down in Ravnica to do what he does best: break in and steal the secrets from Ravnica’s rarest artifacts. But upon uncovering the half of a strange gauntlet, Dack is led to a strange new plane: the realm of THEROS, a sun-dappled ruled by gods and inhabited by mythological beasts!
ROB: Dack Fayden is finally back, and this time the story is closer than ever to Magic’s current goings on. New story, new card, lets see where in the multivers Dack takes us now.
MULTIPLE WARHEADS: DOWN FALL
Writer: Brandon Graham
Artist: Brandon Graham
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $7.99
SOLICITATION: The organ smuggler Sexica and her werewolf boyfriend Nikoli try to get by in a harsh Soviet fantasy world with dream monsters, radiation slugs, and starships falling from Wolf War 3.
RODRIGO: And I quote “The organ smuggler Sexica and her werewolf boyfriend Nikoli try to get by in a harsh Soviet fantasy world with dream monsters, radiation slugs, and starships falling from Wolf War 3.”
RESIDENT ALIEN: THE SUICIDE BLONDE #2
Writer: Peter Hogan
Artist: Steve Parkhouse
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Dr. Harry is a friendly, small-town doctor who’s really a stranded alien hiding among us. Trying to help one of his only human friends beat a murder rap, Harry and Nurse Asta spend time in Seattle gathering information—possibly putting Harry right in the crosshairs of the federal agents on his trail!
RODRIGO: I’ve been reviewing this on the MSP as it comes out. I’m very interested in where it’s going. The protagonists has just enough alien powers to make it interesting without being too easy.
ROCKET GIRL #1
Writer: Brandon Montclare
Artist: Amy Reeder
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: A teenage cop from a high-tech future is sent back in time to 1986 New York City. Dayoung Johansson is investigating the Quintum Mechanics megacorporation for crimes against time. As she pieces together the clues, she discovers the “future” she calls home – an alternate reality version of 2013 – shouldn’t exist at all!
Blast off with the new ongoing series by BRANDON MONTCLARE (Halloween Eve) and Eisner Award nominee AMY REEDER (Batwoman, Madame Xanadu).
GEORGE: Alternate realities and time travel are sorta my bread and butter. And while I’m not familiar with Brandon Montclare, Amy Reeder’s art is always a treat. Plus – rockets
THREE #1
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Ryan Kelly, Jordie Bellaire
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: When a member of the Spartan ruling class visits an isolated homestead of Helot workers, a brutal massacre is only the beginning. KIERON GILLEN (PHONOGRAM, Über, Iron Man), RYAN KELLY (Saucer County, Local) and JORDIE BELLAIRE (THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS, NOWHERE MEN) unite to tell the heroic story of three slaves and their desperate attempt to escape 300 of the finest warriors who’ve ever lived.
GEORGE: Kieron Gillen is a wonderful writer. And his work on Uber shows a growing aptitude for historical-based comics. With Three, I’m also glad someone is focusing on the helots for once – the serf class that underpinned Spartan society is usually entirely ignored. And a great artistic duo in the form of Ryan Kelly and Jordie Bellaire makes this book something I am very much looking forward to.
TRANSFORMERS CLASSICS VOL. 6 TPB
Writer: Simon Furman
Artist: Various
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $24.99
SOLICITATION: The historic comic book roots of THE TRANSFORMERS are re-presented for maximum Cybertronian enjoyment. Freshly re-mastered and re-colored, these stories are accompanied by an in-depth introduction as well as select issue notes by Mark W. Bellomo. Collects issues #65–76.
CHRIS: Know nothing about Transformers but looking for a place to start? IDW has you covered as these collections reprint the original Marvel run. Not only do you get the awesome stories, but also some neat background given about each issue. Of course, you should pick up the previous five as well.
